A Breath of Fresh Air
by Overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: When Adrien's bad luck strikes, it might just be the littlest things that reverse his fortunes... (Sequel Piece to Follow!)


Author's Notes: From one remarkably silly idea comes an actual one shot. Thanks to Enber for chatting this one into existence and to Kellarhi for helping to make it shine!

Watch for the sequel (Scent of a Chat Noir) to post in the next day or two.

* * *

It had been one of those mornings.

Adrien was already exhausted after yet another long night fighting off whatever nonsense Hawkmoth dreamed up and sent out into the city. Seriously - why couldn't the villain just be in bed like every other normal person in Paris?

Bed was exactly where he really wished he could be right now.

Instead, thanks to his awful luck, Nathalie had scheduled another early morning photo session, forcing him back up out of bed not half an hour after he'd slipped back under the covers.

In his rush through his early morning routine, Adrien had almost forgotten what Chloe had made such a huge stink about the day before. Wrinkling her nose up in distaste, she'd cornered him... claiming that his backpack smelled of day-old gym socks.

Of course, she was wrong. Camembert smelled at least as bad as week-old gym socks.

Oddly, it had been a relief that she'd pointed it out. Chloe had been getting better about being a bit more kind and considerate to the whole class, but since she was the one who had first noticed the odor, he knew there would be far more questions - and more censure - if he didn't handle it quickly. Not taking any chances, Adrien tossed two Pine scented air fresheners in his bag to combat the constant Eau de Camembert.

While his bodyguard had been driving him towards the shoot, Plagg had been a huge baby about it; coughing and gagging dramatically, and loudly proclaiming that as soon as they were alone in the dressing room, he needed an abundance of not-so-fresh air.

And that should have been Adrien's first hint at trouble to come…

Or it would have been, except trouble had spent all morning finding him already.

* * *

After two hours - and a longer than usual session in the makeup chair to mask the bags under his eyes - Adrien struggled to keep his eyes open as he trudged up the stairs and down the hall towards his first class of the morning.

Adrien gave a half-hearted wave to Nino, slumping down into his chair, and setting his book bag down beside his desk.

"You alright, dude?" Nino murmured.

Adrien managed a smile. "Early morning," he answered with a shrug.

At least there were a few, quiet minutes until class would start He could barely hear Marinette and Alya whispering over Alya's latest article behind him over the low din of the rest of the class. Calmly, he reached down to pull his books and a notebook out of his bag to get settled and get his head in order so he might be able to retain something today.

Sabrina's shriek sent the whole class whirling into chaos.

Startled, Adrien's eyes opened wide, glancing around the room to spot the new source of danger. Now he was definitely awake at least.

"Was that a rat?!"

Wearily, he shook his head at the ensuing madness. Several people, Miss Bustier included had hopped up onto desks and chairs.

With as many Akuma as plagued the campus alone on a typical week, he wouldn't have thought the tiny threat would have caused any more madness and mayhem than usual.

"Where is it?"

"There! I saw it there!"

Only a few brave souls were unfazed, up and out of their chairs.

"What did it look like?" Marinette prompted, as she, Alix, and Kim circled around the desks, peering down at the ground.

Sabrina shook like a leaf. "It was big and it was black…"

Wincing, Adrien looked down at his bag with a sinking suspicion. He hoped to spot a wiggling bit of black and glowing green peering back at him.

Adrien sighed, rifling through his bag again only to come up empty-handed. Plagg definitely excelled at chaos... and Adrien was already used to disappointment, so he wasn't entirely surprised about it.

Shoulders slumping, Adrien spoke up. "Umm. I think it is mine…"

From her rodent-safe perch up on her desk, Miss Bustier paled. "Yours, Adrien?"

Fingers chasing up to the back of his neck, Adrien blushed slightly as he looked down at the floor, pretending he was looking for a pet instead of a sufficient lie to cover this mess. "My… hamster. I had been keeping him in my room, but Dad was bringing in a contractor come to re-stain the floors in my room, and I wasn't sure it would be safe for him to stay there."

"Oh…" Miss Bustier was far less tense, her eyes softening slightly. "But Adrien, you know you can't really bring your pet in here…"

"I know," he whispered, half holding his breath and mustering every bit of kittenish pleading he'd learned as Chat Noir. "But my Father won't let me keep him if he finds out."

Nino had come to his rescue. "The dude doesn't even let us come over to study."

A rumble of agreement and support came from several other classmates that warmed his cheeks and his heart.

Miss Bustier clapped her hands loudly to regain control of the classroom. "Alright. Adrien, please get up and find your pet. If you can keep it under control during class, it can stay until lunchtime. Then maybe someone will be kind enough to make other arrangements?"

Nodding, Adrien was up in an instant, peering around his desk for any sign of Plagg.

He bit his lip, wheeling around in a circle. Adrien had no doubt that Plagg was just being stubborn, protesting the sudden pine fresh scent of the bag. And he had a foolproof way of getting him to return up his sleeve. Just not one that could be done in a classroom of people who knew him - and his alter ego - all too well...

Alya cleared her voice, and gave a slight jerk of her head towards her desk mate, drawing Adrien's attention to a very pale Marinette.

And the tiniest bit of Plagg's jet black fur peeked through her fingers where she was cradling his Kwami in her hands...

Wide-eyed, Adrien's hands shook as he barely stifled a pained whimper. His gaze darted up to Marinette's blue eyes, searching. She wasn't cooing and fussing over the little burden, as he would have expected from someone as sweet as Marinette.

She wasn't looking at him compassionately either. Not like the rest of the class, who clearly all still felt a little bad for the not so tall tale he'd had to tell- not that it was really all that far from the truth.

No… her gaze was locked - hard and fast - onto the silver ring on his finger.

She bit her lip, peering up into his eyes and revealing a bit more of Plagg's fur... enough so that his tail was barely restrained. "Is this him?"

Adrien blanched, nodding as her gaze ping-ponged from his, to his ring and back a few times.

Marinette looked about as stunned as he felt. "Umm… your hamster is shivering." She struggled with that word, but no one else really seemed to notice. "I… think he might be a little cold."

Adrien pressed his lips into a thin line. Plagg was definitely laughing.

The ingrate...

"Marinette really likes hamsters, Adrien." Alya grinned widely, leaning in to try to sneak a better peek at his "pet".

Adrien flinched at the sight. Marinette knowing was bad enough, but if the writer of the Ladyblog could connect the dots… Well, that would just be his luck.

"You're in luck. She'll know just how to help take care of him."

Blushing, Marinette stared down at the bundle in her hands, softly stroking the little bit of Plagg's fur that she had uncovered. But oddly, she answered automatically… and more than a little wistfully. "Well, I want a hamster… someday. But I really can't keep one with the bakery downstairs…"

Adrien looked back, hoping he looked sufficiently grateful.

If Marinette had figured out his secret - and she was certainly clever enough to do so - at least she was keeping it quiet.

Instead, she kept petting the little fuzzball, her slim hands hiding most of his Kwami's form. "Miss Bustier, could we take this little guy down to the nurse? She might be able to give us some sort of dressing to help warm him up, so he'll maybe stay put."

Shrugging, the teacher nodded. "Just be sure to come right back."

Marinette nodded, leading the charge out the door.

Adrien hopped up and bolted through the entryway, his gaze darting over to Marinette's rigid posture as he followed closely behind her. Every footstep echoed forebodingly in the halls.

She kept peeking over at him, nose wrinkling up with uncertainty. "I'm not sure I would have believed such a little guy could cause so much havoc."

Adrien chuckled, "Well, he is a little bit of a nightmare."

She giggled in response, opening her hands to let Plagg fly free, once they were clear of any classrooms that might see. "I think that's fair to say."

Plagg merely pouted, hovering over to Marinette's shoulder … but Adrien froze in place- dumbfounded, and helpless to even say a word.

Marinette peered around the corner before ushering them both into the empty locker room. She then wheeled on them both. "Plagg? Are you crazy?"

Adrien gaped in disbelief.

Glowing green eyes slanted between the pair of them, grin growing wider as he stared back at Adrien. "I'm not the one who stunk up the bookbag."

Marinette just arched a brow. "I've seen what you're capable of, remember?"

Plagg demurred slightly, his ears bending low. "Are you- are you going to yell at me?"

Marinette chuckled, her hands crossed over her chest. "I don't think I have to. Not when we both know that she will…"

Plagg gulped, and Marinette turned her gaze back to Adrien.

Adrien winced, certain the mirth he saw in her eyes must be in stark contrast to the confusion that must be plain in his own. "You alright there, Kitty?"

"So… you know?" Adrien shook his head in disbelief. "But, how did you…?"

"I met Plagg a while back… at the Fashion Show, when Chat Noir was out of action."

"This is just my luck…"

"I think it might be mine…" She smiled.

Adrien sighed heavily. "No, you don't understand. Ladybug is going to kill me. No one is supposed to figure this out. Least of all any friends."

The smirk was already back on Plagg's face, his eyes darting over to Marinette's. "I dunno. She might be more understanding than you think…"

Marinette's eyes narrowed. "Especially since you didn't exactly kick your Kwami out of the bag in the first place…" She tilted her head. "But you must have done something that made him flee..."

Adrien shrugged. There wasn't really any point in hiding it anymore. "Chloe pulled me aside yesterday about the smell from my bookbag."

He glared at Plagg. "It never used to be that bad, except someone kept sneaking in more Camembert… and then leaving the containers in it."

"Plagg! You glutton…"

Adrien peered over at Marinette. That didn't sound like sweet Marinette's voice, and she was definitely a little peeved. "So, what did you do?"

Adrien winced. "After Chloe complained, I needed to do something about the smell…"

Marinette nodded sagely. "I guess that's understandable."

Plagg merely scoffed. "It didn't mean you had to toss in a whole factory's worth of air fresheners… I could hardly breathe in there!"

Marinette's shoulders fell. Her fingers draw up to massage the bridge of her nose, as her eyes slid closed.

Adrien barely had time to finish explaining before their phones both started to vibrate in sync.

Nino and Alya were sending them messages in quick succession, a sure sign that they had lingered for too long.

Still a little flustered, Adrien sighed. "I'm sorry, Marinette. I'm sure you still have questions… and this really isn't how I ever wanted all of this to go."

Marinette simply smiled... a soft, rosy blush coloring her cheeks. "I'm sure you have some worries, too. But maybe we could have a little chat during lunchtime?"

Adrien beamed back at her. "I think I'd like that."

She chuckled, opening the locker room door. "Considering all you both do for us all, I wouldn't mind helping out with him at all."

Plagg chuckled loudly. "Well, if you could track down a bit of Camembert for me, I'm sure I wouldn't complain."

Rolling his eyes, Adrien bit out. "I'd doubt that."

Mischievous glee warmed her whole countenance, as she smirked to restrain her amusement. "Really, whatever you both need."

Adrien breathed a little bit easier following her back toward Miss Bustier's classroom.

Plagg simply grinned, quipping before he slipped down into the tiny pink purse at Marinette's side. "That really wasn't such a nightmare after all was it, kid?"


End file.
